Congratulations to the first Muslim mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, and to the first female Muslim lieutenant governor, Virginia’s Ghazala Hashmi, who both won their races in Tuesday’s election. These wins show not only an increasing Muslim voting demographic in America, but also a greater willingness for many voters to look at a candidate’s policies and track record without religious affiliation being a negative factor.
Despite unfounded fears of some that New York will become an Islamic city, the reality is these election results show there is less bias, less Islamophobia and more open-mindedness among Democratic voters, especially young voters. According to The Baltimore Sun, Mamdani won 75% of the young vote, and 9 out of 10 Muslims voted for him.
As a Muslim American, it is my hope that Mr. Mamdani and Ms. Hashmi do follow Islamic guidelines in their governance; Islam teaches that the wealthy should be taxed to take care of the less fortunate, that the need of the community is greater than the need of the individual, that all humans are entitled to the same rights, that children and the elderly should receive care and compassion, that mothers should be the most revered in society, and that the leader of the people should be the one who serves them. It seems these ideas sounded pretty good to the people of New York City and the state of Virginia.
— Ruqaiya Asad, Frederick
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